Tag: guestblogger

When I heard I would be receiving Freemie Collection Cups to review, I was beyond excited. Freemie Collection Cups were created to be a hands free and discreet breast pump milk collection system. Let’s be real, it sounds appealing, doesn’t it?

Why was I so excited to try these you ask? As a full-time school counselor and new mom, I was excited to try anything that would make pumping a little less dreadful. I mean, to have my hands free and not have giant horns popping out of my shirt? I’m all in.

When first opening the package, they included simple and easy to follow directions on what needed to be connected to each part (a few of the parts needed to be boiled first). These collection cups look nothing like the “horns” we’re used to. However, there are 3 major parts just like with the “horns.” You have the collection cups, valves, and then the shields/funnels. The collection cups each hold 8 ounces which is fabulous since I can usually pump over 5 ounces that the typical bottles hold. The valves are an awkward shape, however, they just click into the shields just like the “horns”. The shields (they call them funnels) are either 25 or 28 mm and both sizes are included. As a side note, I have a Medela Pump in Style pump which does not need any additional adapters, but some pumps do. The Freemie website shows which pumps need additional adapters. To use the Freemie with my pump, I just had to switch out the tubing and replace it with their tubes (included).

Usage: Freemie claims they fit into your bra and that you can pump with your shirt on. The collection cups stick out about two to three inches so I don’t know about you, but I can’t fit two-three inches into my bra. However, with a nursing bra I was able to unhook it as if I was going to nurse and slide them in. I usually wear a cami of some type under all my shirts, which also supports the collection cups. Once you get the hang of sliding them in, your hands really are free! The first time I used them, I was sitting there with a straight back (not even leaning over), my shirt on and free hands. It was like the Pumping Gods threw me a bone! As I was sitting there, I was thinking of all the possibilities since my hands were free. I picked up my phone, hopped on Facebook and relaxed for 15 minutes. If I’m super busy at work, it’s a great time for me to send out some emails uninterrupted while still pumping. After pumping a few minutes, I noticed that the collection cups started fogging up which was kind of a bummer because I usually keep an eye out for when the milk stops then I’m done compared to a certain “time” amount. (This is pretty expected, because it’s difficult to keep a product like this from fogging with the extreme temperature differences. However, Freemie is working on this!) After several uses I now know you can lean over a little bit and check the bottom where it has lines to show the ounces. I know about how much I pump during the day and use that method for now.

Once I was done pumping, I was able to just slide them out of my bra, take the tubing out (make sure you turn your pump off first or you’ll end up with milk in your tubes), take apart the collection cup system, and then pour the milk into a storage bag or container. Personally, I am able to pump in my office and then I put all the parts and my milk into a lunchbox and put it all in the fridge. I do wash out the Freemie collection cup system prior to putting into the lunch box. The collection cups are super easy to clean, too. I soak mine in hot soapy water every day after work, do a quick scrub then I lay them out to dry.

Overall, I love the Freemie Breast Pump Collection System! However, there a few cons. Like I said above, the cups get foggy and you are unable to see if the milk is still flowing. I find this to be the biggest downfall. In addition, the first few times you’ll likely get milk in the tubes (once you get used to it, it doesn’t happen often). It’s also not quite as discrete as they lead consumers to believe, but you are still able to pump with your shirt on, it just makes you look like you have giant boobs (and I mean giant). Even with these cons, I personally still think the pros outweigh the cons. They stay in place, are easy to put together/take apart and are truly hands free. I highly recommend Freemie to any mom!

– Cierra, Guest Blogger

Did you like our @freemieusa review? If so, order your own and get 10% off using code “burritobuzz10” courtesy of our pals at Freemie!

**BurritoBuzz received these products at low or no cost for the purpose of review or testing. No compensation for a positive review was provided. All product reviews are based 100% off of our personal experiences and we never guarantee a positive review.**

I was recently asked to sample and review NurturMe blended dry cereal meals with my 8 month old and I was thrilled for the opportunity. Have you strolled down the baby food aisle lately?! As a new mom walking down the baby food aisle, it can be overwhelming with all the options for your little one. I was unfamiliar with the choices for dry baby food, but fortunately my son has been a wonderful eater, so I was anxious to try out NurturMe organic dry meal pouches and explore new flavors and foods.

The dried baby food comes in a simple easy-to-tear open pouch. Pour the food into a bowl and you add either water, breast milk, or formula to create your desired consistency (one pouch calls for 7 to 8 tablespoons of liquid and will make a typical amount of food). I prepared NurturMe carrots, raisins, and sweet potato baby food with water and was immediately impressed. As any mom would, I tried the new food before offering it to my little guy and was surprised at the amount of flavor – it was delicious! My little one ate nearly the entire amount prepared. I was thrilled because I knew he was getting a ton of nutrients.

Like most baby foods, the remaining prepared food can be stored for 2-3 days in the refrigerator. I would definitely recommend NurturMe organic gluten free dried baby food, not only because of the ingredients used, but the convenience as well. I think their lightweight pouches would be great for on-the-go families. These pouches can easily be stored and stashed in your pantry, car, diaper bag, etc. and you have the satisfaction of knowing your growing little one is getting powerful nutrients. Check out their website to learn about all of their product offerings and to find their food in a retailer near you!

– Allyson

**BurritoBuzz received these products at low or no cost for the purpose of review or testing. No compensation for a positive review was provided. All product reviews are based 100% off of our personal experiences and we never guarantee a positive review.**

My 11 month old son has been teething forever. I quite literally mean, since almost the moment he escaped the womb. He started teething on everything around 2 months old, and popped his first tooth at 9 months. Since then it’s been a constant gnawing, chewing on everything (including his crib rails and my living room end tables,) drooling, chaos-filled marathon of trying to grow some teeth. Really though, growing little bone fragments from your face must be as painful as it sounds. I digress… As parents we just want to do what we can that is SAFE for our little tooth-growing-monsters.

Teether BugIn our household we use teethers, cold washcloths, amber necklaces, and the occasional night-time Tylenol. I prefer to use medication as a last-resort. I probably own about 20 teethers in total, but so far the Nenu Family teethers are my favorite.

Why?

-Two fun shapes that are EASY for little ones to hold on to. (They offer two shapes, the teether bud and teether bug.)

Teether Bud-Safety tested, and certified. Medical grade material.

-Free of the junk (junk=phthalate, latex, vinyl, and BPA.)

-100% made in the USA (manufactured in Seattle)

-The teethers don’t collect hair. (If you have teethers, you know what I’m talking about. I wash mine daily because they seem to pick up every kind of lint in the house. EW.) These ones aren’t sticky.

-The teethers are made to reach all teeth, so that they can be used for years (even for those molars!)

-The textures are GREAT. Ridges and indents are ideal to help ease those hurting gums.

-The spoon and fork, separate from the teethers, are great for learning. They have prongs that hold the gross parts off the table.

-The teethers are $10 a piece from the website, or slightly more if you look on Amazon. Most teethers range from $7-$10, so overall very parallel to the rest of the market.

Great job on a product that my LO loves, Nenu! Hope to see you expanding into major markets soon; we need more products like this!

-Katie

**Burrito Buzz received this product at low or no cost for the purpose of review or testing. No compensation for a postive review was provided. All product reviews are based 100% off of our personal experiences with a product and we never guarantee a positive review.**

Expecting Multiples, Helpful Hints to Prepare for the Bundles of Extreme Joy that are Soon to Arrive.

I actually felt your eyes roll just now; but multiples really are double (or triple etc) the joy, they are also double or triple the everything else. My multiples are twin girls, 2 yrs old, fraternal. You will need to know that last part but I’ll get to that soon enough. I’ll try and go in order because if you are like me (Type A, a woman, slowly going crazier and crazier with each passing moment) then giving them to you in order will be the first help I give you because you will not have time for lists and planning like you used to once the beautiful but helpless offspring are here.

Plan ahead. Now! Start doing everything you can to be prepared. Reading this is a step in the right direction but once you are finished don”t watch another rerun of Roseanne (is it the one titled A Stash From The Past? If so you can start right after. Haha) , go do something.

Nursery: Clear out your scrap booking supplies or your man’s many video games from the room formally known as the spare or catch all (the place you throw everything when ppl are coming over and you cleaned twice already that day but your children outnumber you so of course there was a blanket laying on the stairs and laundry not quite put away, etc). You will still need a place like that even more than before once the babies are born so find one, mine became the basement. Anyways, decorate it and assemble that Ikea furniture as soon as you can (when you find out the genders or if you decide to go neutral) because you don’t understand yet how much harder it will be the more pregnant you get.

Freezer Meals: Some of the things on Pinterest will become reality unlike that amazingly beautiful yet impossible hairstyle board. Write down what you need for all of the ones you will be preparing (some pins have the lists there to print which is super). I started with 2 weeks worth to get my feet wet. Buy a crock pot if you don’t already have one! Buy meat and vegetables from the discounted (almost old) area of the grocery store. You are freezing it so it will not get any worse and will be as if you bought it and used it that day. Take an afternoon (enlist the hubs or a friend) and chop all the ingredients needed to be chopped and follow the directions for each recipe to prepare. It might take you a few hours but will save you so much more time in the future. Now, make those meals for dinner for the following week or so to see if you like them and how easy they are. Continue to make and eat them or at least make some for the first month or so to eat AFTER you and your suddenly bigger family are home from the hospital.

Baby Shower: Have one. I don’t care if not your first child and it’s a faux pas, that goes out the window if you thought you were trying to have one child and got more than you bargained for. The few people who frown upon it can just not participate (those ppl still came to mine but if they didn’t I wouldn’t have let it bother me, I would just agree to disagree and move on). Things are expensive and you will need two of the same thing even if you are like me and thought you wouldn’t. Quick note about bottles to register for: Go with ones that don’t have a million pieces to each bottle because you will be washing every one of those about 12 times a day for a while and the less parts the better. At one time we had 35 bottles and still had to run the dishwasher every day to keep up.

Diaper Party: Google it. Plan one (it’s the guys’ version of a baby shower), have one. Ours was about $90 to throw but we didn’t have to buy diapers until the girls were 18 months. If you don’t have any children yet you will not grasp the amount of diapers you go through let alone be able to imagine that number doubled.

Be frugal. That means something different to each of us. Some used things are not gross, some are. Everything you can stand to get used or handed down use as long as it is safe (Google it and find out). Cut back on frivolous spending. Again, that means something different to each of us, but be conscious of your spending and whatever it is you buy all the time that is either bad for you or otherwise, reduce it a little but don’t give it up entirely unless you want to because you are still human and deserve brand name coffee, shoes, etc from time to time just not as much as you might be used to. Sorry.

Buy Ahead: Buy clothes that match when you see them on the clearance rack at Target even if they won’t fit your kids now, just think about seasons and sizes. My biggest piece of advice on this is to search the Facebook sale groups for another mother of multiples like yours just a year or two older and buy their gently worn clothes and toys. Their sons wore that Christmas vest and boat shoes for 3 hours once and they weren’t even old enough to walk. Buy that. Santa should also start a lot earlier than before to save money too. My 3 children’s gifts may or may not be already wrapped…

Get A Sense of Humor And Realize Life Can Always Be Worse

Team Up: You and your significant other need to get on the same page for multiples. There’s no time for yourself in the first few months no matter who or what you are unless you are a celebrity and have maids, a nanny, and a cook (thank you crock pot freezer meals!). With one baby one adult can have the other adult “have a turn” so to speak with the baby so the woman can shave her legs finally or the man can go draft his fantasy football team. With multiples this is not the case. You will be holding one of the babies to either feed, change, bathe or put to sleep pretty much constantly for a few months. The only difference from singletons is now HE is too. You and him (or her or whichever applies) are going to be getting a lot closer now even though it will feel the opposite. Help each other, love each other, radiate that to your kids in the big picture. Which leads me to my next point.

Constant But Not That Bad: There it is, the truth. Every child is different so again this means different things to each individual. My twins are Poop Picasso’s and my investment in a carpet cleaner has been one of my better ideas. My twins are also climbers and climbed out of their cribs before they could walk. Your multiples will be different from mine, we don’t know how so but they will be, so the best piece of advice any parent of multiples can give this that it’s constant but not that bad. Things will smooth out and everyone will adjust.

Develop A Schedule And Stick To It For-evaa: Keep the constant not that bad by developing a schedule. With our son we parented kind of lazy, he had no strict schedule of naps etc. With our twins we had to, it was the only way to ensure the little peace there would be.

Get Used To Strangers Blabbing At You: Why on Earth is the milk in the back of every store? You do not understand that obstacle until you have multiples. Every single elderly lady used to have the same hair color as one of your twins and every third person either is a twin or knows some twins and feels like you should know. Why? I don’t know, so you can bond while checking if each individual egg to see if it is broken in the carton you grabbed (from the top which surely means they must be if no one else bought them yet). Are they twins? Are they identical? Is one a boy and one a girl (even though they are both dressed in a pink dress in a pink and purple car seat)? How old are they? Do twins run in your family? How do you do it? Did you know you were going to have twins? The questions and comments are endless. Sometimes I answer, sometimes I pretend I didn’t hear them and on a few occasions I’ve lied. Are they twins? (As I’m quickly walking with two crying babies in the cart to get milk and bread which by the way has nowhere to go in the cart because there are currently two car seat carriers in it taking up all the room.) Nope. (And I kept walking). I just couldn’t pretend to pretend they actually cared that day. Oops.

Make Time For Yourself And Your Relationship: This one is a bit tricky but still important. It can be as simple as watching a show every few nights together after the kids go to bed. If you and your significant other aren’t happy it’s hard to raise children who are.

Know That Time Is Fleeting: Time really does fly. Sometimes that is a good thing, sometimes not. Be present and try not to stress over every little thing that does or does not happen exactly when or how you wanted or thought it should go. That cute laugh when you tickle your babies will change but so will things that are absolutely not cute and trying during parenting, so just know nothing will last forever (and try and appreciate and enjoy the good times no matter how hectic each day is).

It does. It really and truly does, and it is so much more common than you would ever imagine. About 1 in every 6 couples will struggle with infertility. On this page, at the time of me writing this, there are about 170 followers on the Burrito Buzz Facebook page, so statistically about 26 of the followers will struggle (my husband and I follow the page, so that leaves 24, which is crazy!). Infertility is generally defined as a couple trying to conceive for 1 year without medical help and not becoming pregnant. Infertility can also refer to women who struggle to carry babies to term, or who suffer from repeat miscarriages. It sucks.

I will tell you our story so far, and I will also try and keep this brief! I could write/talk for hours on this subject. I’m Chelsea! (Not the Chelsea that is a regular blogger here). I am a good friend of Katie, and she has been a HUGE support system for me! So when she mentioned me doing a guest blog, I was thrilled! If there is one positive to this whole infertility bull crap, it is that I have the opportunity to spread the word on this taboo (and not covered on most insurances, although it TOTALLY SHOULD BE, I DIDN’T CHOOSE THIS) subject!

My husband and I have been married for a little under 2 years. I’ve been off birth control since January 2014, and we’ve been actively trying to conceive (ttc) since April 2014. Right around the time we started actively trying, I noticed that I wasn’t getting my period (or a positive pregnancy test). Sounds like a dream, right? Except to get pregnant, you need to ovulate, and if you ovulate you will have a period (unless you get pregnant). I spent months tracking my basal body temperature; which involves needing to have at least 4 consecutive hours of sleep, and taking your temperature first thing in the morning, and tracking it on a graph to try and pinpoint when ovulation occurs, I kept a legal pad full of peed on cheapo ovulation strips from Amazon; to try and track when they would get darker, meaning I was close to ovulation, and tracking my cervical mucus (not going into details on this one… lol). We never had luck, and I was driving myself crazy. I vividly remember crying on my bed like a crazy person about my luteal phase not being long enough, and so on and so forth. It was normal for me to go 60+ days with no period, and it was torture… constantly taking tests… constantly getting negatives. I was in denial that I needed medical help, because this is what my body is made for! My husband finally convinced me that I should go see an OB/GYN, so I made an appt. It was more of a “family planning” “pre-pregnancy” type appointment. I can’t remember all the specifics and on what timeline (I’m really good at repressing things!) But the term PCOS was thrown around, we decided to get hubby’s sperm analyzed (which costs $150… crazy…) and we decided we wanted to try a fertility drug called Clomid, to see if it would help me ovulate on my own. I was never actually diagnosed with PCOS at this clinic. And they also told us that the sperm analysis wasn’t that bad… there were a few things a little low, but the count was fine, and even a small percent of millions and millions of sperm, is ok. Cool. We believed them and felt good. This Clomid should work fine for us! Each month you’re on these drugs involved multiple doctors’ visits… blood work, internal ultrasounds, fun! First month I was on a 50mg dosage. I went in for my first follicle study, to see if I had any eggs that might ovulate. NOTHING! I was told it wasn’t even worth our time to “try” that month, and I was given a prescription for a drug called Provera to make me start my period so we could up my dosage of Clomid and try again next month, and add in a ‘trigger’ shot to force me to ovulate ($120 a pop for a shot). Clomid is terrible and makes you a crazy person, btw. The hot flashes are seriously the worst, and if going through infertility won’t make you super emotional, Clomid will. We did three more rounds, 1- 100mg and 2- 150mg… each month sounded hopeful. I was responding to the drugs fine, and producing multiple nice sized follicles, but still no BFP (big fat positive). Somewhere in there I also had a tube test done to see if my tubes are open and clear ($900). From reading online about the tube test procedure, it seemed pretty easy. Similar to a pap, but they insert a tiny balloon and inflate it to open your cervix, then push dye through a catheter to flow into your tubes while your lay under an x-ray machine. I’d been though a lot already, so this seemed easy! WRONG! The typical test takes less than 5 min. This dude was all up in my business for AT LEAST 10, with a long probe, moving my insides around to try and get this balloon to my cervix… it was awful. Apparently I have a tipped uterus. He finally said that he couldn’t get the balloon where it needed to be, so he was going to do the best he could. Right tube looks great, left he couldn’t get the dye to flow correctly, SO WHO REALLY KNOWS. I cried… on the table, in front of this stranger who was just rooting around in my vagina for the last 10 min. I cried the whole way home. It didn’t seem fair to go through all of that and not have any real answers on one whole side of my tubes! It was at this point our doctor suggested us taking the next step and seeing a specialist, a Reproductive Endocrinologist. Taking Clomid for long periods of time can be very harmful to your body and start preventing pregnancy, and increasing your risk for different cancers, plus, we weren’t getting anywhere, so we decided to make an appointment.

I have a friend who went this same fertility clinic, Reproductive Gynecology, and she loved the doctors and ended up pregnant! So I was actually pretty excited. I had been doing plenty of research, and we both knew what we wanted our next step to be, and IUI (artificial insemination). We went to our first appointment and we were immediately crushed. It took everything in me to not break down in front of our doctor when she told us that the sperm analysis was actually pretty bad, and with my possible blocked tube, and possible PCOS, IVF was really our only option. We. Were. Crushed. This is not what we had planned, nor do we have that kind of money. IVF is crazy expensive. We aren’t that infertile. Life isn’t fair. I expressed to her that we really wanted to try an IUI first. They still cost $1000, but compared to the $15,000+ that IVF costs, we thought it was worth a try. 7 vials of blood, 5 days of a different fertility drug, another ‘trigger’ shot, and $1000 later, we were doing our first IUI! We felt so hopeful! It was exactly 1 year to the date that we started trying, and that had to be a sign! We got to the hospital SUPER early so hubs could do his thing with the cup in the room with the porn, and they could “wash” his sperm to remove any impurities/any of the bad disfigured sperm. We roamed the hospital and got some coffee. I had read that IUIs take better when you have a super full bladder! 2 hours later, I was inseminated and we were on our merry way. 2 weeks later, BFN (big fat negative) UGH! This same doctor then tells me she would like us to do 2 more IUIs before moving on to IVF, and we decided to get another opinion. This is the same doctor that told us an IUI wouldn’t likely work for us… now you want us to spend another $2k doing them when we could put that money towards IVF??

I LOVE OUR NEW DOCTOR. He is great and I love him. I hope he can get me pregnant! He informed me that I do indeed have PCOS. FINALLY someone actually bothers to actually diagnose me! He also gave us our odds, which no one else had bothered to do! They are in no means good odds, but it’s nice to hear! Only a 1-2% chance that we will ever conceive naturally, 5% with an IUI (ummm what? And this b*tch wanted us to do that 3 times?!?) and a 50-60% with IVF! We NEVER thought we would end up here, and we also NEVER thought we would be able to afford IVF. Before I have people commenting about adoption.. we know! I’ve actually already gotten info and been in contact with an agency. Our plan is to do 1 round of IVF (plus any FETs if we are blessed enough to have multiple embryos to freeze). Unfortunately adoption is also crazy expensive…and some days I still wonder if we should just skip the IVF and move on to adoption. But I really want to be able to experience pregnancy. And right now I am young and healthy. Adoption will always be an option for us, but IVF won’t be. So since about May of this year, we’ve just been taking it easy, and it is GREAT! Infertility sucks. It is hard on your body, your relationship, your social life, your wallet, your sex life. IT SUCKS! It’s nice to take some time off and be normal. Currently we are just working REALLY hard to raise money for our IVF (which is hopefully going to happen late spring of 2016!!) and doing our best to eat REALLY well, and take lots of vitamins that are suppose to help. We’re talking all organic, grass-fed, cage-free, (gluten and dairy free for me… YUCK), cutting back on caffeine and alcohol (until we completely cut out both at 3 months out) and about 8 vitamins a day. We want to be as physically/emotionally ready for IVF as we possibly can be to give it our best shot!

I’ve found an AWESOME (and I truly mean so awesome I could cry) support system in the form of an online Instagram community of other girls TTC all over the world. They are all so awesome and so dear to my heart. I am actually meeting some of them from Ohio this coming weekend! It’s so inspiring to see girls go through this and get to the other side! We have been SO BLESSED! I cannot even describe. We are passed the ‘poor us’ stage, and are making the best of the situation we are in! I love being able to be a spokesperson for this, and the love and support and connections we’ve made make us believe this is all happening for a reason. This is how it is suppose to go for us. I can only pray that IVF works for us and that it brings us our family that we are SO anxious to have! Katie started a GoFundMe for us (which is SO AWESOME and I’ll never be able to express to her and her husband how much it means to us), and my workplace (I’m a pastry chef) is doing a cookie fundraiser where all the proceeds will go directly to our clinic in our name to help pay our IVF bills. ❤ If you managed to read all this and are struggling with something similar, PLEASE feel free to contact me! I know how lonely it is. I know how every pregnancy announcement brings you to tears. I know that it isn’t fair. But you aren’t alone ❤ ❤ And if anyone wants more information on our GoFundMe, or “Baking for Baby Phares” fundraiser, let me or Katie know! Also, feel free to follow my journey on Instagram @making_baby_phares